Page 15 of Darkness Tempt Me
Tate’s gaze shifts, looking between Hunter and me.
“Ah, so you finally noticed there are two masked killers in the room.” I tap the hilt of my knife to his temple, close to his right eye.
His breaths are labored now, chest heaving once again. “Why—why are you doing this?”
Images of my pretty assistant with fear etched on his face flicker across my mind. “Because. It’s people like you that haunt the innocent even when you’re gone,” I growl. “It’s people like you who hurt others like my sweet Peyton, making it really fucking hard for them to heal.”
Hunter laughs, dangling a large ax in his hand, turning it enough so Tate can see the blade. “Peyton, again? Oh, Mav, he’s always on your mind nowadays. You really need to get laid, buddy.” He raises his ax and brings it down onto Rian’s dead body, effectively chopping off his arm.
Tate screams. “I don’t know a Peyton! I never touched him!”
I take my blade and viciously slash it through Tate’s cheek. “And you never will, you piece-of-shit rapist. Now,” I say, smiling behind my mask. “Tell me about Lydia Moore. Or better yet, let’s skip all your recent victims. Tell me about Sophia Blackwood.”
Chapter ten
Peyton
It only takes a few days for Mavik and me to return to our normal boss and assistant relationship. Or maybe, more accurately, it only takes a few days for us to start pretending to be normal again. There’s an undercurrent of something…morebetween us that neither of us can escape. It’s as if we both crossed some imaginary line the day we went to lunch, and it’s something we can’t undo.
Mavik apologized for texting me inappropriately and explained it away by saying he had too much to drink with some buddies. But despite his words, something is different. It’s in the way his intense stare lingers. He reminds me of a dangerous animal watching its prey and waiting. Waiting for what? I have no idea. Maybe for me to mess up? To step back over that line we keep toeing? I don’t know, but the bratty side of me can’t help but love all the attention. I want to push him. Flirt with him and see what it takes for him to pounce.
“You can expect me at the office within an hour, sir.”
“Very well. Are you stopping by the café? You know you don’t need to rush things. You can take more time if you need it, Peyton.” The concern in his voice is a comforting caress that takes my breath away. Damn. He’d make a sexy Daddy.
No. Bad, Peyton. You can’t think of your hot-as-sin boss as Daddy material.
“I can’t allow myself to turn it into a big deal. Tell me your order.”
I haven’t walked back into the café since the morning of the panic attack, and the more I avoid it, the more I know I’m making my fears worse. If I don’t walk back in there, then the café is going to become an imaginary problem I’ll be afraid to tackle. It’s better to go back now just so I can realize it isn’t the threat my body is pretending it is.
He sighs. “Fine. Get me an Americano, please.”
“As you wish, sir,” I purr into the phone with a grin. Not that he can see me, but I hope he can hear just how flirty this grin is. My smile widens when I hear him suck in a deep breath before ending the call.
The bell chimes overhead as I walk in. I immediately spot Billy at the cash register, just like last time. Only, there isn’t a line of people or anyone to distract the barista from spotting me as soon as I cross the threshold.
Billy offers me a wide smile, his whole face lighting up as soon as he sees me, almost as if he’s relieved that I’m safe. Suddenly, I feel like a jackass. I should have walked in the day after everything happened. He must have been worried sick.
I take a deep breath and walk right up to him.
“Hey, you,” he says. “I was about to call the cops and tell them some guy in a fancy suit kidnapped you.”
I bark out a laugh, instantly feeling better. “God, I wish.”
“Is that so?” Billy arches a brow before drumming his fingers on the counter. “You into the whole dark kidnapper trope?”
“Well, I mean, sure, but you have to admit that particular guy in the suit was hot, right?” I ask, scanning the menu. Is it wrong to get the herbal tea that reminded me of Mavik? I bite my lip. God, I really want that tea again.
He shrugs. “If you’re into all that. To each their own, I guess.”
“Oh yeah, tall, dark, and handsome is definitely my type. But don’t worry. That was just my boss.”
“That was the infamous Mavik Blackwood?”
I nod, returning my gaze to the menu. Suddenly, the sense of being watched crawls up my spine, causing me to stiffen. I try to tell myself it’s only my imagination, but the feeling won’t seem to go away. Turning around, I spot a handsome man in a suit. It isn’t uncommon in this area, not with all the corporate offices on this strip, but something about him seems familiar. My mind races, trying to place him without much luck.
The man cocks his head with an arrogant tilt before checking his expensive-looking watch. “I’m in a hurry. Are you going to order, or what?”
